Parental Notification of Prohibited Activities

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and products notify parents of child activities. A child&#39;s device stores rules that prohibit certain activities. When the child&#39;s device attempts a prohibited activity, a message is sent to a notification address associated with the parent. The message, for example, may be sent to the parent&#39;s cell phone. The instant message describes the prohibited activity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/548,796, filed Oct. 12, 2006, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______(AT&T Docket 060140), which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication 60/823,955, filed Aug. 30, 2006, entitled “CommunicationSystem with Broad Band Station,” with both applications incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to communication systemsand, more particularly, is related to integration of communicationsystems.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a telephone is used to provide voice communications betweentwo parties. For other communications, another communication device isoften used, such as a computer, where visual information may beconveyed. Regardless of the capabilities of a computer, the telephone isa focal point of communications within a household. However, withemerging communication modes and channels, integration of these devicesand elements are desired, especially with the increased prevalence ofhome networks.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, systems, anddevices for user supervision and notification. In this regard, oneembodiment of such a method, among others, can be broadly summarized bythe following: monitoring activities performed by a telephone device;and notifying a user of the activities performed by the telephone andidentification of users performing the activities, notification ofactivities being made by the telephone device.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description and be within the scopeof the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of one embodiment of a communication system inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a broadband station (BBS),such as that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart describing one embodiment, among others, of aprocess performed by BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing one embodiment, among others, ofanother process, performed by BBS of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5-8 are diagrams illustrating an exemplary interface to a chatclient communicating with the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary log-in interface to theBBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary interface to a chatclient communicating with the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is diagram of an exemplary call log made accessible on the webby the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary interface to the BBS ofFIG. 2 that allows for formation of rules implemented by the BBS.

FIGS. 13-14 are diagrams illustrating an exemplary web interface thatallows for formation of rules implemented by the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary interface to the BBS ofFIG. 2 such that a message is displayed to a user.

FIGS. 16-17 are diagrams illustrating an exemplary interface to a chatclient communicating with the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 18-19 are diagrams illustrating an exemplary interface to the BBSof FIG. 2 that allows for chat communications.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a capability of the BBS of FIG. 2 thatallows for voice notification messages to be generated.

FIGS. 21-23 are diagrams illustrating an exemplary interface to a chatclient communicating with the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of a method of callnotification.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method formaintaining a call log.

FIG. 26 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method ofestablishing communications with a telephone device, such as the BBS ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of a method ofnotification using the BBS of FIG. 2.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart illustrating a method of supervision andnotification using the BBS of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a communication system 100includes a broadband station (BBS) 110. BBS 110, in one embodiment, is aclient device with Internet access designed to connect to a local accessnetwork (LAN) 120. BBS 110 may also be WI-FI client (IEEE802.11b/802.11g compliant) and be designed to connect with wireless LAN(WLAN) (not shown). It is contemplated that the BBS 110 may often besituated at a user premises.

Accordingly, one embodiment of BBS 110 features a port for Ethernet orLAN access which may provide access to Internet 140 and devicesconnected thereto (e.g., PC 150, wireless PDA (personal digitalassistant) 160, server 170, database 180, etc.). BBS 110 may alsoinclude digital cordless technology supporting analog PSTN calls fromPSTN 130 and devices connected thereto (e.g, telephone 135, etc.).

In some embodiments, BBS 110 also includes video communications and mayinclude an option for integrating a camera 115. BBS 110 also includes ahigh resolution color liquid crystal display (LCD) with touch-screeninterface. BBS 110 further includes an operating system such as, forexample WINDOWS WinCE.Net operating system, with application programminginterface, networking protocols and codecs, and multimedia engine forcustomized applications and services.

Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, as shown in FIG. 2, BBS110 includes a processor 212, memory 214, and one or more input and/oroutput (I/O) devices 216 that are communicatively coupled via a localinterface 218. The local interface 218 can be, for example but notlimited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, asis known in the art. The local interface 218 may have additionalelements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers(caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, to enable communications.Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or dataconnections to enable appropriate communications among theaforementioned components.

The processor 212 is a hardware device for executing software,particularly that stored in memory 214. The processor 212 can be anycustom made or commercially available processor, a central processingunit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associatedwith the BBS 110, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of amicrochip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any device forexecuting software instructions.

The memory 214 can include any one or combination of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape,CDROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory 214 may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that thememory 214 can have a distributed architecture, where various componentsare situated remote from one another, but can be accessed by theprocessor 212.

The software in memory 214 may include one or more separate programs,each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructionsfor implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG. 2, thesoftware in the memory 214 includes a service agent 210, call log 215,contact list 220, address book 230, rules 240, email application 250,camera application 260, portal/browser application 270, instantmessaging (IM) client 280, calendar 285, telephone API 290, andoperating system (o/s) 295 (e.g., WinCE.Net). The operating system 295controls the execution of other computer programs and providesscheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memorymanagement, and communication control and related services.

The I/O devices 216 may include input devices, for example but notlimited to, a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc. Furthermore, the I/Odevices 216 may also include output devices, for example but not limitedto a display, speaker, etc. Finally, the I/O devices 216 may furtherinclude devices that communicate both inputs and outputs, for instancebut not limited to, a modulator/demodulator (modem; for accessinganother device, system, or network), a radio frequency (RF) or othertransceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc.

When the BBS 110 is in operation, the processor 212 is configured toexecute software stored within the memory 214, to communicate data toand from the memory 214, and to generally control operations of the BBS110 pursuant to the software.

As mentioned above, some of the services and application provided bysome embodiments of BBS 110 include a calendar 285, address book 230,etc.; a portal/browser application 270 providing news, weather, trafficsports, maps, stocks, etc.; email client 250, instant messaging client280, etc.

In addition, in accordance with the present disclosure, in oneembodiment, a service agent 210 resides in memory of BBS 100 and may beconfigured to alert a user of incoming analog telephone calls using theinstant messaging application 280 or other functions.

For one embodiment, the service agent 210 communicates with a telephoneAPI 290 (application programming interface) for the BBS 110. Therefore,the service agent 210 can detect when an incoming telephone call isbeing received by the BBS 110. The service agent 210 as a result sendsan instant message to a user notifying the user of the incoming call.Identification of the calling party may be determined from caller-IDinformation received by the BBS 110. The service agent 210 may beconfigured to send notifications to an instant messaging addressprovided by the user. Therefore, an instant message sent by the BBS 110to such an instant messaging address is delivered in accordance withpreference and rules established by the provider of the instantmessaging address and the instant messaging application 280.

Generally, the BBS 110 sends an instant message to the user at aninstant messaging address where the user is determined to be online. Ifthe user is not currently online, then the message may be queued andstored and then forwarded when the user is detected to be online. It isnoted that the instant messaging application 280 on the BBS 110 may beused to locate a user and also be used as a notification mechanismthrough the BBS 110.

Since the BBS 110 has its own instant messaging client 280, the BBS 110could be set up as the lowest priority IM client since the BBS is alwayson or connected to the Internet. For example, some instant messagingsystems allow multiple simultaneous sessions involving multiple clients.For example, JABBER allows multiple simultaneous client logins of thesame instant messaging address (“JABBER ID”), and JABBER directs instantmessages to the client having the highest priority for that address.Therefore, the BBS 110 could be set up as having the lowest priority IMclient.

Further, the service agent 210 may be set up to have its own instantmessaging identity. This identity may be listed as a contact on theuser's contact list 220 for instant messaging.

In addition, the user could send BBS 110 commands and instructions usingthe service agent's instant messaging identity. For example, the userfrom his or her work client 150 could communicate with the BBS 110 usingthe BBS's instant messaging identity for the service agent. For example,the user may request the service agent on the BBS to send a call logback to the user at his work client 150. The call log may identify anddescribe incoming calls to the BBS 110 or even outgoing calls made fromthe BBS 110.

Consider the following scenario. A user is expecting a call to his hometelephone number where the BBS 110 is located. The call that the user isexpecting is from a pest control person so that an appointment may bescheduled for pest inspection to be performed at the home. So, when thecall is actually made, the service agent 210 of the BBS 110 detects thecall and obtains caller-ID information. The service agent 210 then sendsan instant message containing the name of who is making the call and thetelephone number where the call is being made. The instant message issent to the user at an instant messaging address designated within a setof rules 240 defined by the user. In one embodiment, this all may bedone while the BBS 110 is ringing to announce the incoming call at thehome.

In one embodiment, the instant message may ask the user to specifyinstructions for handling the call that is being received by the BBS110. So, not only does the BBS 110 notify the user of the incoming callwith information on who is making the call and a number where the partymay be reached, the BBS 110 also provides options for handling the callremotely. For example, the user could reply to the instant message withinstructions to forward the call to another telephone number (where thenumber is specified in the instant message itself), instructions to sendthe call to voicemail, instructions to let the incoming call be leftalone (or a reply could just not be sent), etc. Via an instant messagingsession, remote control operation of the BBS 110 may be implemented. Forexample, BBS 110 may receive a call over PSTN 130 and in real time, auser can receive notification and can start making decisions about whatthe user's prefers to do. The BBS 110 has a full API 290 to control allthe telephone features of the phone that are accessible to the serviceagent 210.

In one embodiment, a user can define rules that affect how BBS 110handles incoming telephone calls. For example, a rule may be specifiedthat if a call is received from someone in a user's address book 230(that is stored on BBS 110), a notification message may be sent to theuser. Otherwise, a message is not sent. Further, different rules may beenacted based upon time of day, day of the week, etc. Also, rules may bebased on who the calling party is. Therefore, when BBS 110 receives acall, the particulars and characteristics of the call can determinewhich specific action is taken (e.g., direct call to voicemail, hang upon call, forward call to another number, etc.).

In accordance with one or more embodiments, rules do not have to bestored locally on the BBS 110 device. For example, calls may be storedremotely in an Internet database 180 and accessed by the BBS 110 overthe Internet 140. In this way, a user from a remote location can accessthe rules and configure and modify them, if need be, from another clientdevice 150, 160, etc.

In communicating with the service agent 210 from a remote client, a usercould be provided a menu of options for configuring the BBS 110 orinstructing the BBS 110 to perform requested actions. As previouslysuggested, a contact for the service agent 210 may be added to theuser's contact list 220 so that a user can communicate with the serviceagent 210 from a remote location. In communicating with the serviceagent 210, the service agent may send a menu of options for differentactions that can be selected by the user. To select one of the options,the user can identify one of the options in a reply message back to theservice agent. For example, one option may be to transfer a call log 215identifying and describing incoming calls to the BBS 110 or evenoutgoing calls made from the BBS 110.

In one embodiment, a call log may be stored remotely from the BBS on theInternet 140. For example, in one embodiment, the call log may beaccessible from a portal site of a user's Internet provider (viadatabase 180). Therefore, the BBS 110 may also access the user's calllog and populate the call log with desired information. Accordingly, auser could access the call log from any Web-based client 150 that hasaccess to the Internet 140, in some embodiments.

Further, in one embodiment, multiple BBS 110 at different locationscould be used to populate a singular call log. Therefore, if a user hasa BBS 110 at home and a BBS at work or a second home, each BBS unitcould populate one call log. Within the call log, information such asidentification of the caller, time of day when the call was made,identification of the calling phone number, and disposition of the call(e.g., caller left a voice message, caller was forwarded to number555-6666, etc.) may be included. Also, in some embodiments, individualcall logs for individual BBS devices may be maintained.

Embodiments of the present disclosure enable a user to interact with aremote phone, such as a home phone, in real time. Unlike previousversions of Internet Call Waiting systems that required users to have adedicated Internet Call Waiting client on a user's desktop, oneembodiment of the present disclosure interacts with a remote phonesystem by utilizing a contact on an instant messaging contact list 220.This is much less invasive and is more compatible with existing softwaresystems of pre-existing computer client devices. As such, according toexemplary embodiments, custom clients on the remote computer or specialtypes of connections are not required. The BBS 110 may provide theability to communicate via instant messaging technology from a hometelephone device and combine instant messaging capabilities with afull-featured Internet capable telephone is seemingly novel. This givesa user remote access to a home appliance.

With previous versions of Internet Call Waiting, the PSTN telephonenetwork 130 also typically had a switch having to be provisioned to docertain functions, such as detecting that the called party was asubscriber to Internet Call Waiting service or detecting that the calledparty was connected to the Internet. By making the terminal device, suchas the BBS 110, have access to rules 240 for determining handling androuting of the call with the intelligence to implement the rules, thenotification services provided by the BBS 110 work with any telephonenetwork switch without any special customizations with regard to theswitch.

In some embodiments, the BBS 110 is a dual mode device that can make andreceive VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone calls in additionto PSTN calls. This allows even more flexibility with regard to theservice capable of being performed by the BBS 110. With an IP (InternetProtocol) switch, more sophisticated call forwarding can be implemented.In the same way that PSTN calls can be rerouted by the BBS 110, VoIPcalls may also be rerouted.

Another service capable of being performed by embodiments of thecommunication system of the present disclosure is parental controlservices. For example, rules 240 may be set up restricting access tocertain operations or functions to be performed on the BBS 110. Further,restrictions can be specified for particular users, such as childrenthat reside in a household. For example, assume that Jane is a childthat lives in a household using the BBS 110. Jane's parents haveimplemented rules that restrict Jane's use of the BBS 110. One of theserules specifies which telephone numbers Jane is allowed to call. Otherrules 240 may specify the time of the day that Jane is allowed to maketelephone calls, maximum duration that Jane is allowed to be engaged onthe BBS 110, etc. Accordingly, for a user to make an outgoing call, theBBS 110 may have a log-in prompt that requests the user to identifyhimself or herself, such as with a personal identification numberassociated with the user. After a user has authenticated himself orherself, the BBS 110 enforces whatever rules have been created for theuser.

Further, in some embodiments, BBS 110 may be configured to sendnotifications on whatever uses are being made on the telephone (BBS 110)by Jane. Further, if Jane attempts a prohibited activity, a parent maybe contacted via a notification message and be prompted to authorize orprohibit the requested activity and pre-existing rule. These decisionscan be made in real time.

Therefore, BBS 110 can have rules stored locally or accessible from anInternet database 180 that include authorized logins, passwords, ruleson who is allowed to use the phone, how long they can use it, etc.Further, the phone can log how much a user has used the phone, if he orshe has made a phone call, to whom it was made, etc. Via instantmessaging, the phone could alert a parent or other user as to who themonitored user is attempting to call and ask if it is okay for them tomake the call. The monitored user could even get permission to make longdistance call or 900 call or talk to their friend, in some embodiments.

Generally, a user can be notified in real time of activities for whichthe BBS 110 is being used. The BBS 110 can log and notify the user ofthese activities being performed on the BBS 110. One such use for suchnotification services is to provide parental controls on use of the BBS110, which may be utilized by multiple users (as opposed to cellularhandsets which are primarily utilized by singular individuals).

The BBS 110 may also feature a camera 115, in some embodiments.Accordingly, the BBS 110 may be configured to capture video images thatare sent to a user using instant messaging technology or video chattechnology. For example, the BBS 110 could be interfaced with a homeautomation system such that when someone approached a front door of ahouse where the BBS 110 resides, an image could be captured and sent toa user at a remote location to notify the user and allow for the user toview the image of the person. In addition, if a temperature sensor forthe house rises above a set threshold value, a notification may be sentto the user to alert the user that the house may be on fire. Inaccordance with the present disclosure, other embodiments may utilizeother home automation sensors.

Further, in embodiments where the BBS 110 has a camera 115 integratedinto the BBS 110, images captured by the camera 115 may be monitored bythe service agent 210 and motion in a region of interest in the imagesmay be detected. If this occurs, then a video feed may be pushedautomatically to a user or in response to instructions from the user(which may be in response to a notification received by the user fromthe service agent 210). In one embodiment, the BBS 110 may be able tostore an amount of video data locally or store a larger amount on anexternal device or an Internet database 180. Further, in someembodiments, a log may be maintained by the BBS 110 of different videoevents that are captured. Such a log may also be transferred remotely toa user from the BBS 110, in accordance with the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the communication system are not limited to the examplescontained herein. It is intended that the teachings of the presentdisclosure may be extended. For example, notification services of thecommunication system 100 are not limited to delivery of notificationsusing only instant messaging technology nor is detection serviceslimited to detecting incoming telephone calls. For example, someembodiments of the communication system provide that the BBS 110 detectsan incoming instant message for a user and notifies the user by placinga telephone call to the user and playing a prepared audio messagealerting the user of the received instant message. Also, the BBS 110 maysend a notification message upon receipt of a message waiting indicator(MWI) from a voicemail system.

Regarding the service agent 210, in some embodiments, the service agent210 is an interactive instant messaging user agent represented by asoftware application. The service agent 210 receives messages passedfrom the instant messaging client 280 on the BBS 110, parses suchmessages, and provides instructions to perform requestedservices/actions, such as instructions for handling a call, requestingtransmission of a call log, authorizing use of the BBS 110, etc.

Following is an example conversation between an end user and a serviceagent according to one embodiment. The end user initiates addressing amessage to the service agent 210 using whatever means provided by theinstant messaging system. Such means may comprise, for example, choosingthe service agent 210 from a buddy list or addressing an email to aspecific address. The message contains instructions to the service agent210 to send a call log to the user.

In the case of a two-way messaging system, the service agent 210 mayrespond to the end user with information, confirmation, or with arequest for additional information. In the case where additionalinformation is requested, the end user returns to the first step andprovides such information to the service agent 210. It should beappreciated that the dialog between the service agent 210 and the enduser may take a variety of forms, comprising following a specificsyntax, e.g. “777-666-5555 forward call,” or being conversational innature, for example, through the use of free-flowing natural languageprocessing. The dialog can also take the form of form filling.

It should be further appreciated that the service agent 210 mayproactively send messages to the end user, for example, a reminder foran event. However, it should be noted that while the service agent 210is capable of proactively initiating communications to the end user(such as alerting and notification) for performing certain tasks, theservice agent 210 is not limited to being merely reactive. The serviceagent 210 is capable of accepting new data. For example, the serviceagent 210 has the capability of accepting new rules or new changes topre-existing rules.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a flow chart describing one embodiment, amongothers, of a process, among others, performed by BBS 110 is shown. Inblock 310 of the flow chart, a terminal device, such as BBS 110,receives an incoming call. The BBS 110 obtains (320) particulars of theincoming call, such as Caller-ID information, time the call is received,etc., and compares this information against a rule set for handlingincoming calls. The terminal device then disposes (330) of the incomingcall in accordance with a rule from the rule set if the particulars ofthe call satisfy the rule set. For example, if there is a rule forincoming calls that are received before 4 p.m. and an incoming call isreceived at 2 p.m., then that rule would be implemented and theassociated action performed.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow chart describing one embodiment, amongothers, of another process, among others, performed by BBS 110 is shown.In block 410 of the flow chart, a terminal device, such as BBS 110,receives an instruction from a user via an instant message. In response,the terminal device performs (420) one or more actions in accordancewith the received instruction. For example, the instruction may specifythat a call log should be transferred to the user, a rule should bemodified, an incoming call should be disposed in a certain manner,authorization should be granted for use of the terminal device, etc.After performing the action, confirmation (430) is sent to the user, viainstant message, that the instruction was received and requested actionwas performed, in some embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a diagram illustrating an exemplary interfaceto a chat client is shown. Consider that a user may have a chat sessionwith a service agent 210 via user's chat client 510 on PC 150. Here, theservice agent 210 has an identifier “HomePhone” and the user has anidentifier or screen name “Ted.” The user (“Ted”) receives a message 520from the service agent 210 to inform Ted that Tom's Pest Control iscalling the user at the user's premises where the call is being receivedat BBS 110. The message 520 provides options 530 for handling the call.In particular, if Ted replies with the message “2,” the service agent210 responds by commanding the BBS 110 to send the call to a voicemailservice; or if Ted replies with the message “3,” the service agent letsthe phone call ring without being answered. In the present example, Tedchooses to reply with “1”, which causes the service agent 210 to respondby commanding the BBS 110 to forward the call to Ted's office phonenumber (which may be stored in an address book 230 and labeled as“Office Phone Number,” in one embodiment).

In the chat client 510 of FIG. 5, it is shown that the service agent'sidentity is listed as a contact 540 in Ted's Contact List 550.Therefore, Ted can initiate communications with the “HomePhone” identityby selecting one or more of the contacts (as represented in FIG. 6) fromhis contact list 550 which will cause a chat window to open (if one isnot already opened), in one embodiment. In FIG. 7, after Ted has clickedon the contact identity of the service agent 210, the service agent 210responds with options 710, such as requesting a call log for BBS 110,requesting a sensor reading, such as the temperature of the house wherethe BBS 110 resides, as mentioned previously, or ending the chat sessionwith the contact identity. It is noted that a number of differentoptions may be provided and that the options described herein areprovided as illustrative examples and are not intended to be limiting.

Referring back to FIG. 7, Ted responds by typing “1” in the input window720 and selects the send button 730. As a result, in the illustrativeexample of FIG. 8, contents of a call log 910 are sent, in response tohis reply, and are displayed as part of a chat session. The call logcontents 910 indicate that a call from Sue was received at 9:00 AM,where Sue left a voicemail. At 11:12 AM, the call log shows that a callwas received from an unknown or unidentified party and the call wasforwarded to voicemail but the party did not leave a voicemail message.At 2:12 PM, the call log shows a call was received from “Mother” and thecall was answered by “Daughter.” The call lasted 23 minutes. It is notedthat the identity Mother or Sue may be identifiers set up by the user(Ted) in his address book for certain telephone numbers. Further,“Daughter” may be an identity established on the BBS for a user having aparticular PIN that is used as a login for the BBS 110, such as theexemplary illustration of FIG. 9 which shows a log-in interface 910 toBBS 110.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the call log contents 910 further indicatethat an outgoing call was placed on the BBS 110 from Daughter to Ted,and this call lasted 20 seconds. In an alternative embodiment, ahyperlink 1020 to the call log may be included in a chat message fromthe HomePhone identity of the service agent 210. For example, FIG. 10shows a chat client interface 1010 displaying a message with a hyperlink1020 to access a call log. In one embodiment, by clicking on thehyperlink 1020 with a mouse control, a web browser client 1110 isactivated, as shown in FIG. 11.

In the present example, call log contents are displayed as a web page1120. The call log contents include date information 1122, timinginformation for receipt of calls 1124, the telephone numbers of the callthat was received 1126, a status of disposition for the calls 1128, andto what phone numbers calls were made 1130. For example, in oneembodiment, a user may have more than one BBS 110 that feeds a call logdatabase (e.g., database 180) stored in a network location.

Therefore, a single call log may compile information from multiple BBSdevices 110. Also, in some embodiments, additional information may beincluded as call log contents, include outgoing call information.Therefore, the present example is not intended to be limiting.

In one embodiment, a user can define rules that affect how BBS 110handles incoming and outgoing telephone calls or other services providedby the BBS 110. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary interface 1210 to BBS110 that allows formation of rules via the BBS device 110.

In the present example of FIG. 12, the user creates rules for “Becky”which is assumed to be another user of the BBS 110. Here, the useroperating the BBS 110 can specify a time range in which Becky is notauthorized to make calls using BBS 110. To specify the time range, theuser can input a starting time 1220 and an ending time 1230 for the timerange. Further, in the present example, the user can specify a maximumlength in minutes 1240 of a duration of a call for Becky. Also, it isspecified if Becky is allowed to make long distance calls or not. A widevariety of rules may be configured in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The examples described above are meant to beillustrative and not intended to be limiting. Additional rules arecontemplated in additional embodiments.

In addition to configuring rules via a BBS interface, one embodimentprovides for a web-based interface for configuring rules, as shown inFIG. 13. Accordingly, a user may access a web page 1320 via a browserinterface 1310 and configure rules determining how BBS 110 handlesincoming and outgoing calls, or other services provided by the BBS 110.The rules may be stored in a network database (e.g., database 180) thatis accessed and implemented by BBS 110, in one embodiment.

In addition to rules being configured for particular users, generalrules may also be configured that are applied as general rules to theBBS 110 for all users. For example, in the exemplary interface of FIG.14, a rules wizard is provided for defining rules. In particular, thepresent example shows rules being created and stating that all callsreceived by the BBS 110 from 9 AM to 6 PM are automatically to beforwarded to the phone number 666-555-1111 if the call is received on aMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, as indicated by thestipulations 1410 provided by a user. Further, a set of rules may statethat incoming calls are automatically sent to voicemail for the timeperiod corresponding to 11 PM to 6 AM on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, andThursday. As noted previously, a wide variety of rules may be configuredin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The examplesdescribed above are meant to be illustrative and not intended to belimiting. Additional rules are contemplated, in one embodiment.

If a user, such as Becky in the previous illustrations, attempts toaccess a service or function of the BBS 110 that has a rule disallowingsuch service/function, the BBS 110 will prohibit the service/functionfrom being performed, in one embodiment. For example, in the exemplaryillustration of FIG. 15, the BBS 110 may display a message 1510informing Becky that she is not authorized to make a call to thetelephone number 777-555-8888. In response, the BBS 110 may beconfigured to send an instant message (or other type of message) to Ted,who has the authority to grant Becky access to prohibited services orfunctions. In the example of FIG. 16, Ted is sent a chat message 1610 toa chat client of Ted's. To do so, a user may configure settings in theBBS 110 indicating that messages asking for permission to performprohibited activities be sent to a particular messaging address, such asTed's chat address, in the present embodiment.

The message 1610 indicates that Becky is attempting a long distance callto phone number 777-555-8888 which is identified as belonging to“Granny” (which may be an identifier associated with the number inaddress book 230), in one embodiment. Also, Ted is provided options 1620in the message 1610 for authorizing the call or disallowing the call, inone embodiment.

Rules may also be specified, in some embodiments, for providingnotification messages of user operations on the BBS 110. For example,FIG. 17 shows a sample chat message informing a user (Ted) that anotheruser (Becky) is utilizing the BBS 110 to make a telephone call totelephone number 444-555-333 which is associated with Michael. In thisway, Ted can monitor Becky's use of the BBS 110 remotely via chatmessages (or other messages) sent by the BBS 110. Further, inalternative embodiments, email messages or even voice messages may besent by BBS 110 to notify a user of uses being made of the BBS 110.

Also, the BBS 110 can notify a user of received messages. For example,in one embodiment, the BBS 110 provides an IM client 280. The IM client280 may receive an instant message 1810, as shown in FIG. 18. In thepresent example, a user (Sue) has sent the message “Ted, are you here?.”Ted may, in fact, not be available to respond to the message 1810 viathe BBS 110. However, in one embodiment, the BBS 110 may be configuredto notify a user (e.g., Ted) that he or she has received a message atthe BBS 110.

For example, Ted may be at his office where another BBS device resides.Therefore, the BBS 110 at his home may send a notification message to anetwork address designated by the user corresponding to the BBS at hisoffice. Accordingly, in the example of FIG. 19, an instant message 1920is sent to Ted's other BBS device 1910 notifying him that a message fromSue has been received.

However, in the example of FIG. 20, an audio or voice message is sent toTed's other BBS device 1910 (or a general telephone device) to play avoice message from BBS 110 (at his home) notifying Ted that an instantmessage from Sue has been received. It is noted that in the presentexample the BBS 110 identifies itself as a “HomePhone Chat Service” inthe voice message and as “HomePhone” in the instant message.

In addition to notifying users of received messages, an embodiment ofBBS 110 can also provide notification or update messages containingcaptured images. For example, a camera 115 (e.g., digital camera) may beintegrated into the BBS 110 via a network 120, where the camera may belocated at an entrance to a user premises, such as a door, for example.The BBS 110 may have a camera application 260 that can grab an imageframe from the camera 115 at a preset interval (e.g., every 30 seconds)or upon occurrence of an event (e.g., motion detection). The cameraapplication 260 may then transfer the image to another location forviewing. For example, the camera application may convert the image intoa JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) image file and upload theimage to a web server using file transfer protocol (FTP).

Camera 115 may be connected to network 120 using wired or wirelessconnections. BBS 110 is also a wireless DSL router, in one embodiment,to facilitate wireless communications.

Further, in one embodiment, a user may communicate with cameraapplication 260 remotely using instant messaging or other messagingtechniques. For example, a user may remotely provide commands foradjusting pan/tilt positions of a camera lens and program frame-capturesettings based on the position of the camera, in one embodiment. Also,camera 115 may be programmed to take a new picture when it detectsmotion across a camera lens.

In one embodiment, the camera 115 may be configured to capture imageswhenever it detects a person approaching the door (where camera lens ispositioned or directed). In response, the BBS 110 may receive the imagesor be notified of the images so that the BBS 110 can make the imageavailable to a user at a remote location. In the example of FIG. 21, achat message is sent to a chat client 2120 of the user in a remotelocation. The chat message 2110 includes a hyperlink 2130 to thecaptured image that is stored at a network location. Also, in someembodiments, the camera 115 may capture video, where the BBS 110 makesthe video accessible to a remote user, as shown in FIG. 22.

Other devices may cause notification messages to be sent, in someembodiments. For example in FIG. 23, a remote user of the BBS 110receives a chat message 2310 from the BBS 110 informing the user thecurrent temperature of a house (via a temperature sensor reading) wherethe BBS 110 resides and provides options 2320 for turning on/off an airconditioner to the house or turning on/off a heater to the house. It isnoted that a control unit to a home automation system may be integratedwith the BBS 110 via network 120, in one embodiment. Accordingly, thehome automation system may be provided its own contact identity 2330(e.g., “HomeSensor”) and may have a service agent installed on the BBS110 that acts on its behalf Therefore, a user can communicate remotelywith the home automation system via the contact identity and issuecommands, such as a command to turn off a heater, as illustrated in FIG.23. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a varietyof devices may be configured to communicate via the BBS 110. Theexamples described above are meant to be illustrative and not intendedto be limiting.

Embodiments of the BBS 110 utilize the many features of home networksand broadband Internet capabilities and further provides communicationand information functions and services in a novel and unique approach.

Referring now to FIG. 24, a flow chart describing one embodiment of amethod of call notification is depicted. The method includes receiving(2410) an incoming call on a telephone device and before answering thecall via the telephone device, sending (2420) a notification message toa remote user via the telephone device over an Internet channel, whereinthe notification message includes call information, the call informationincluding identification of a calling party. In one embodiment, thenotification message is an instant message, among others. Further, thecall information comprises a time when the call was received by thetelephone device, in one embodiment. The notification message also mayindicate (2430) options for handling the call. As such, the methodfurther includes receiving (2440) a reply message from the remote user,and handling (2450) the call in accordance with instructions provided inthe reply message.

The flow chart of FIG. 25 depicts one embodiment of a method formaintaining a call log. As such, the method includes receiving (2510) anincoming call on a telephone device and obtaining (2520) callinformation about the incoming call via the telephone device. The methodfurther includes updating (2530) a call log with the call informationvia the telephone device and enabling (2540) the call log to be accessedfrom a remote Internet location. In one embodiment, the telephone devicereceives calls from a PSTN network. Further, in the same embodiment oranother embodiment, the telephone device may be configured to receivecalls from the Internet. Also, the electronic message may be sent to aremote user with the call log as an attachment to the electronicmessage, in one embodiment. Alternatively, an electronic message is sentto a remote user with a hyperlink for accessing a web page displayingcontents from the call log, in one embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 26, a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of amethod of establishing communications with a telephone device is shown.The method includes receiving (2610) an incoming call on the telephonedevice and checking (2620) a set of rules defined by a user of thetelephone device, the rules specifying instructions for handling anincoming call. The method further includes disposing (2630) of theincoming call in accordance with the set of rules. In one embodiment,the set of rules includes a rule instructing the telephone device toforward the incoming call to the user if a telephone number of a callingparty is contained in an address book of the user. Further, in oneembodiment, the set of rules includes a rule instructing the telephonedevice to perform a particular action if the incoming call to the useris received within a designated time frame. The particular action mayalso involve sending a notification message to the user at a remotelocation notifying the user of the incoming call, in one embodiment.

The flow chart of FIG. 27 describes one embodiment of a method ofnotification. The method includes capturing (2710) an image in responseto an event and relaying (2720) the capturing of the image to atelephone device. The method further includes sending (2730) a messageto a user at a remote location via the telephone device, the messagenotifying the user of the capturing of the image. In one embodiment, themessage includes a hyperlink to the captured image. Further, in oneembodiment, the event comprises conversing on a handset of the telephonedevice and the user is a calling party (e.g., an image being sent of oneparty conversing on a telephone to another party conversing on atelephone). Alternatively, in one embodiment, the event comprisesdetection of motion by a camera that captured the image. The messagenotifying the user may comprise a voice message made from the telephonedevice over a PSTN network or a voice message made from the telephonedevice over the Internet, in one or more embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 28, a flow chart illustrating a method ofsupervision and notification is shown. The method includes monitoring(2810) activities performed by a telephone device and authenticating(2820) a person before allowing the person to make use of the telephonedevice. The method further includes notifying (2830) a user of theactivities performed by the telephone and identification of usersperforming the activities—notification of activities being made by thetelephone device. In one embodiment, notification of a user involvessending an electronic message to the user via the telephone device.Alternatively, notification may involve making a phone call to the uservia the telephone device. Also various embodiments may also maintain aset of rules on which users of the telephone device are allowed toperform certain activities on the telephone device and/or send a messageto the user to allow a prohibited activity when a current user of thetelephone device is requesting to perform an activity that is notallowed by the set of rules maintained on the telephone device. Themessage may also be an instant message having options for eitherauthorizing the prohibited activity or not authorizing the prohibitedactivity, where the activity is an outgoing call and the notificationmessage is sent before the outgoing call is connected, in one or moreembodiments.

Aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. If implementedin software or firmware, components may be stored in a memory and thatis executed by a suitable instruction execution system. If implementedin hardware, components can be implemented with any or a combination ofthe following technologies, which are all well known in the art: adiscrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logicfunctions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gatearray(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

Software components may comprise an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions, can be embodied in anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or deviceand execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a“computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store,communicate, or transport the program for use by or in connection withthe instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computerreadable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a nonexhaustive list) ofthe computer-readable medium would include the following: an electricalconnection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic), aread-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory) (electronic), an optical fiber (optical),and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical).

Any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understoodas representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include oneor more executable instructions for implementing specific logicalfunctions or steps in the process, and alternate implementations areincluded within the scope of the preferred embodiment of the presentdisclosure in which functions may be executed out of order from thatshown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverseorder, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understoodby those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments could include, but do not require, certain features,elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generallyintended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any wayrequired for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodimentsnecessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input orprompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included orare to be performed in any particular embodiment.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations,merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of thedisclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to theabove-described embodiments without departing substantially from thespirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be included herein within the scope of thisdisclosure.

1. A method, comprising: monitoring activities performed by a device;storing rules in memory of the device that prohibit the activities ofthe device; retrieving a rule from the memory that is associated with auser of the device; determining a prohibited activity is attempted bythe user of the device; retrieving a notification address of a parentassociated with the user; sending an instant message from the device tothe notification address to notify the parent of the prohibited activityand an identification of a name of the user that is attempting theprohibited activity; and prompting the parent at the notificationaddress to authorize the prohibited activity.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising determining an incoming call is received atthe device.
 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingsending the instant message to notify the notification address of theincoming call.
 4. The method according to claim 3, further comprisingincluding a calling number in the instant message.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising retrieving from the memory alog of activities of the device.
 6. The method according to claim 5,further comprising sending the log of activities to the notificationaddress.
 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingdetermining an outgoing call is sent from the device.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising including a called number inthe instant message to the notification address.
 9. A system,comprising: a processor; and memory for storing instructions that whenexecuted cause the processor to perform operations, the operationscomprising: monitoring activities performed by the processor; storingrules that prohibit the activities of the device; retrieving a rule thatis associated with a user of the device; determining a prohibitedactivity is attempted by the user of the device; retrieving anotification address of a parent associated with the user; sending aninstant message from the device to the notification address to notifythe parent of the prohibited activity and an identification of a name ofthe user that is attempting the prohibited activity; and receivingauthorization of the prohibited activity.
 10. The system according toclaim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining an incomingcall is received at the device.
 11. The system according to claim 9,wherein the operations further comprise sending the instant message tonotify the notification address of the incoming call.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise includinga calling number in the instant message.
 13. The system according toclaim 9, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving from thememory a log of activities of the device.
 14. The system according toclaim 13, wherein the operations further comprise sending the log ofactivities to the notification address.
 15. The system according toclaim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining an outgoingcall is sent from the device.
 16. The system according to claim 9,wherein the operations further comprise including a called number in theinstant message to the notification address.
 17. A memory storinginstructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations,the operations comprising: monitoring activities performed by theprocessor; storing rules that prohibit the activities of the device;retrieving a rule that is associated with a user of the device;determining a prohibited activity is attempted by the user of thedevice; retrieving a notification address of a parent associated withthe user; sending an instant message from the device to the notificationaddress to notify the parent of the prohibited activity and anidentification of a name of the user that is attempting the prohibitedactivity; and receiving authorization of the prohibited activity. 18.The memory according to claim 17, wherein the operations furthercomprise determining an incoming call is received at the device.
 19. Thememory according to claim 18, wherein the operations further comprisesending the instant message to notify the notification address of theincoming call.
 20. The memory according to claim 18, wherein theoperations further comprise including a calling number in the instantmessage.